Minister Roe sat alone in the cathedral-like hall of the central realm. Everything was going as planned. In retrospect, he'd misjudged Odus, who rated worlds above the incompetent Verde. According to Odus, the interfering half-fae was married, causing Victor no end of grief. The One would swoop up the heartbroken teen, and he would become Emperor Roe by nightfall.

He picked up paper and quill, sketching his new royal crest.

"Hey, handsome!"

Roe looked up and saw Mistress Fawn standing in the doorway. His colorless eyes watched the colorfully clad woman traipse across the floor. She'd been an exciting diversion, even if she had no sense of fashion.

"My guards told me about the most interesting battle in the human realm." Mistress Fawn draped herself on the table before him, batting her lashes. "Heard you were there."

"You agreed to Cataran marrying the half-fae. I went along to ensure she didn't escape."

Her eyes met his, warm and seductive. "Was a fairy killed?"

"Who cares?"

Mistress Fawn snickered. "That reminds me, I got something to show you, sugar." She pulled a slender dirk from the depths of her bustier, holding it in the palm of her hand. 

He felt a strange power emanating from the object. "What does—"

Roe's eyes widened as Mistress Fawn's finger closed, and she slammed the weapon into his chest. He screamed in agony, ready to call upon his fire magic to eradicate the traitorous viper—but couldn't. With pain-filled eyes, he realized the dirk had scrambled his magic, immobilizing his power. He fell back in his chair, shocked to see Gigi sitting cross-legged before him. The child had a big cherub smile on her face and a garrote in her hands.

"Ha! Fooled ya!" she sang. "Guess what? I blame you and your deadening spell for Medi's death." Gigi's lip curled. "She couldn't call for help in time, thanks to you. Lucky Kenwylis found her when he did. Stayed with her till the end."

Stunned, Roe stared at the fae.

"Cat-piss fought a fair fight, so I can't fault him. Plus, he got his tail handed to him by Kristy." Gigi hopped off the table. The little girl pulled a stool behind the frightened minister and climbed up, wrapping the garrote around his neck. "Another thing... your boy Odus figured out who you really were even though Princess sorta suspected you. But I don't believe he's telling the whole truth, so I need the rest. The fae are amazing at sensing stuff like that."

Roe snarled at Odus' betrayal and watched as Princess entered the room from a side door with a determined look on her face.

"Oh, yeah, that crazed One Magi the Four were in cahoots with—she's sorta dead." Gigi tightened the wire a tad. "Shall we begin?"

The table orb glowed as Odus gazed into the shadowy dim of the empty chamber. Once upon a time, he'd dreamed of this moment—although differently—with the One giving him the keys to the realms as he alone prepared to rule them as Emperor Odus.

His remaining alone was the only part that had worked out.

Odus had decimated the Four by chasing away their supplicants while ruining their reputation and legacy. All his work had been for naught with the One's defeat and the elita stepping in as interim minister. Princess had gone looking for him like she knew he was part of the infamous Four—a group she'd sworn to destroy to the last woman or man. Roe must have told them everything before he died.

Pity they hadn't killed Roe immediately as he'd advised.

Odus sighed and pulled a vial out of his robes, tearing the stopper off with his teeth. He drank the bitter liquid and then tossed the container into the shadows.

There was nothing left, nothing at all.

Minutes later, the orb went dark, bathing the chamber in eternal darkness.

A soft hand on his cheek caused Victor to open his eyes. He lay on his back, staring up at a beloved face. "Kristy?" He wrinkled his nose and frowned. "I'm alive?" The massive power the dagger transferred into him from Roisin should have killed him. But here he was...

Then he felt it, a change within him. Victor raised his hands, staring at them in horror. They glowed with a soft inner light.

"Easy, Master." Kristy helped him sit up. "Princess was here, but she left. Are you alright?"

Victor turned to where his father had fallen. Lovedae and the Duo had propped up the injured doctor, their eyes on him. He felt their uneasiness. Even Kristy seemed tense. He glanced at the clouds covering the clearing. The somber skies dampened his already fragile mood, so he sent them away. The continuous tweeting and chirping birds were an annoyance. He silenced them before glancing back at his father. The injuries he'd sustained were gone.

Victor had done it all—without magic.

The revived doctor sat up, troubled eyes glued to his son. "Victor—" A trembling hand extended toward the boy.

Roisin's magic inundated his system, swam through every cell, every fiber of his being, along with something else. A far greater power that frightened Victor to his core. Carys had raised him from a babe, constantly making changes and tweaks to him, allowing the impossible to become possible. But the latest change had been more than tweaks—Victor felt the cost of Carys' current interference.

The universe demanded a price. Carys would die, and he would be its replacement.

He'd become a monster.

Distraught, he gazed around the clearing, relieved to see Little Vic lying under the maple tree on the sun-warmed grass. Victor ran to the boy and then sat, pulling him onto his lap. The child seemed pale and washed out, a shadow of his former self.

Little Vic opened emerald green eyes. "You're... safe."

"Yes." Victor touched the boy's cheek. "You've been siphoning off your divinity, feeding it to me for years. I should've died when Roisin's energies transferred into me, but you changed me again."

The child giggled. "You know who I am?"

Victor gave a mournful smile. "You can't hide it anymore, Carys. Why this form?"

"Wanted to be something from our... happier days."

Kristy had followed behind, keeping a respectful distance. "Master?"

Victor sighed as he met her questioning gaze. "Carys' constant tinkering pushed me into divinity. That's why I suddenly manipulated time with people instead of just Mum's inedible dinners."

He looked at the pale child, his light dimming from within. "Carys, you sacrificed yourself for me. But what you consider a blessing is my curse."

Little Vic shook his head. "You'll live... forever. No one can hurt you... ever again."

"I'll be a One Magi for the rest of my life. Even that is too much." The magic raced through his system in acknowledgment. "Man wasn't made for immortality or godhood. I'd rather be capable of moral choices, successes, and mistakes. I want to be part of humanity, not above it. I can't exist like this, love."

With Carys' energies circulating in his system, Victor understood his father's distress as his life continued for centuries, something a deity could not understand. But if he were to correct this wrong, it had to be soon as time was running out for the tutelary spirit.

"I can't do this." Victor cuddled the child before whispering, "It's better I will myself out of existence."

"Master! No!" Kristy fell to her knees, shaking.

The Duo called out to Victor and tried moving toward him, but their parents held them back.

The little boy studied Victor's tortured face. He sighed. "It's your choice."

Victor placed his hand on the child's chest, calling the strange energies forth as both parties remained locked together, bathed in a brilliant illumination as he sent the glowing forces back into its original receptacle. Moments later, the little boy disappeared, and standing before him was a figure bathed in brightness, wrapped in a familiar white cloak. 

Victor raised his weary head and smiled. "Thank you, Carys." The light prohibited him from seeing the face clearly, but he gazed at it with gratitude.

Reaching out, Carys helped Victor to his feet. "Your choice is illogical."

"You also made illogical choices by staying behind with Roisin when the other deities left. You knew the One Magi were beyond redemption," he countered.

"Roisin was my charge. I cared for her. She fell in love with Buach on our quest to restore her immortality, a silly move. After his accident, she begged me to keep his essence on this plane, and I promised. By human standards, what I did was wrong, but I did not realize it until she placed you, the final vessel, in my care. I raised you as I modified you, but it seems you also modified me. The hugs, the smiles, the kisses, the endless chatter. You became more my child than hers." Carys placed a gloved hand over Victor's heart. "Roisin suspected I betrayed her by equipping you to survive. She was right. I wanted you to live."

"So many times you stepped in to guide me. You stayed in the clearing, watching over me. And you told me to release my magic untethered when we face Oliver," said Victor. "You saved our hides."

Carys' voice grew amused. "The genie was cross with you."

"That's an understatement." He grinned. "You helped Papa's tree and gave me back my emotions. Thank you."

"That made Roisin very angry. She did not consider this body yours, which denied you a chunk of your humanity. It made you naïve, different. All those stolen lives—parts of their essences I retrieved as your building blocks. Before the genie's interference with the Allure, you were encoded to remain pure and untouched, preparing the body with life experiences for Buach's return." Carys brightened. "But now, you can be who you choose. You are free."

Freedom!  But the joy was short-lived.

The other tutelary deities had abandoned the One Magi centuries ago. But one staying behind had created absolute havoc. The following words would hurt them both, but Victor knew he had no choice.

"Carys, Roisin is gone. You're free from the promises you made." Victor sighed as he took its hand. "I won't shilly-shally about this. It's past time for you to join the others."

The glowing head shot up. "Leave you?"

"I gave back your power, but I felt it." Tears welled in his emerald eyes. "We call it homesickness." Carys had missed its kind for centuries but stuck to its promises to Roisin, then its dedication to him. He'd miss the deity he now remembered, who had given everything for him.

For love. Love guided him to let the one he cherished go. "This plane of existence isn't your home."

"You taught me the meaning of love the first day Roisin placed you in my arms." Glowing arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. "Deities do not see time as humans do. But you've given me the knowledge of its passage. I want to return to my existence, but the thought of leaving you hurts."

Victor held on tight, then pulled himself out of Carys' bright embrace. "Please, love, for me."

"I understand. Roisin and I created enough havoc on this existence. Now we both are free." Carys seemed to wilt even as he felt its eagerness to depart. "I held your little hand in mine as you grew. But I'll hold the thought of you forever. I... love you, son."

Victor stepped back. "I love you too."

The luminous figure began to fade, then stopped. "A parting gift." Carys gazed at the genie who stood quietly in the background. A stream of light struck Kristy, traversing the slender body before the brightness dissipated, and she fell to her knees.

Victor turned and rushed to the genie, dropping next to her. "Kristy! Are you okay? Speak to me, love!"

"Vic, stop screaming in my ear." Kristy shook her head, the pink ponytail flying. "What the—" She stopped, looking at him in awe. "Wait, I called you Vic."

A slow smile spread across his face as he helped Kristy stand. "So, you did! I never gave you orders because it would strengthen the master-genie bond. I wanted it to weaken so you could at least talk and act naturally. I thought it would take months. Carys must have muddled time and did it quicker!" Victor turned to thank the deity—

But Carys was gone.

Victor whispered, "Goodbye, love." 

It had worked out, despite all the obstacles! With a buoyant heart, Victor took Kristy's hand, guiding the genie to where the Grant family stood on the cusp of the clearing. He wanted to go home and celebrate!

The doctor stood several feet away from Lovedae and the sullen Duo. Victor gazed at them, perplexed. Shaky fingers tightened on Kristy's. Something was wrong, and he didn't wait long to discover the problem.

"I warned you. I warned you all." Lovedae held up a hand. "Victor, this was the breaking point! I can't take it anymore! That damned magic taints everything, ruining our chances for a normal life! It ends now."

Jason frowned. "Mom, we—"

She turned on her younger son, lips curled. "Shut up, Jason! I don't want to hear a peep from you or Rosetta." 

Jason stared at her, his mouth opened in shock.

A frantic Lovedae turned back to Victor. "I've lost my security, peace of mind, even my husband to that vile magic!"

Dr. Mason moved toward her but stopped as Lovedae motioned him away. "Stay back, Lyle. You're part of the problem." She took a deep breath. "I've decided to sell the house and start fresh in another town. Come with us, Vic. I only ask that you pledge never to use magic again. Denounce it and live with us like a normal human being."

"Lovedae, I was wrong. I should have explained to you before—" began Dr. Mason.

She cut him off. "Yes, before we married. This is all your fault, Lyle."

Victor tried to reason with her. "But it's over, Mum, we've won! Life can be—"

"What? A waiting game until the next time the magi darkens our door?" Lovedae interrupted. "Can you swear this is the last time?"

He sighed, knowing he could not.

Lovedae scoffed. "Just as I suspected. Jason and Rosetta won't be living in such dangerous conditions."

The wind blew a gentle breeze as the birds once again began their maddening chirps and tweets. Several bumblebees buzzed around the tract of land, settling on the tribute flowers beneath the red leaf maple.

"Mum, when you say denounce magic, does that include Papa and Kristy?" Victor's troubled eyes locked onto Lovedae.

"I won't have you 'owning' anyone in my household." Her eyes hardened as she nodded. "And as far as I'm concerned, my husband is buried beneath that tree."

The leaves of the red leaf maple shivered just like Dr. Mason. 

"I thought you wanted Papa back!" Victor's fingers tightened on Kristy's. "I tried to give you your family... again. You still love him!" His voice grew frantic.

Lovedae remained cold despite his words. "Chose, Victor."

Dr. Mason's shoulders drooped as he caught Victor's eye. "It's alright, son. Your mother and the children, they need you."

Kristy released his hand, stepping away. "I love you, Vic, but I can't take you from your family. If he agrees, give my Focus to the doctor. That'll still give me some semblance of protection."

The distraught doctor nodded as Rosetta began to cry. A forlorn Jason wrapped an arm around her. 

Victor remembered several months ago when a witch named Arabella had said the same thing. Chose. Back then, he'd made the only decision he could. 

Lyle Mason no longer had a purpose. And neither the doctor nor Kristy would be able to withstand Cataran and Kardash if he released her. The half-fae had disgraced her betrothed and father in front of half the jinn realm. He didn't think they'd welcome her back without retribution.

Victor sighed and stepped toward Dr. Mason and Kristy. "I'm sorry, Mum." 

If you enjoyed this chapter please vote or leave a comment. The epilogue is next...